New ABC digital channel

[rectangle]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=15332

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200408/s1186949.htm

"The new channel will include a mix of programming, including
children's, documentary, arts and entertainment"

[flyinyereye]

"rectangle" <rect@ngle.net> wrote in message
news:412fd5ec$0$27223$61ce578d@news.syd.swiftdsl.c om.au...
> http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=15332
>
> http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200408/s1186949.htm
>
> "The new channel will include a mix of programming, including children's,
> documentary, arts and entertainment"

Oh. My. God.

[Matt Cook]

The best online coverage:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/27/1093518086479.html

ABC finds $2m and children's channel flies again
By Cosima Marriner
August 28, 2004

The ABC will launch a second channel in six months, broadcasting children's
programs supplemented with news, current affairs, documentaries and repeats
of popular shows.
Fifteen months after axing its ABC Kids and Fly multichannels to save money,
the ABC has scraped together $2 million to resurrect one digital channel.

The ABC's managing director, Russell Balding, and senior management have
been working on a proposal for a new multichannel for several months. The
board agreed to Mr Balding's proposal at a meeting on Thursday.

The channel - yet to be named - is scheduled for launch in March and will be
on air from 6am to midnight every day.

Children's programs will make up the bulk of the content but regional news
and current affairs, history and arts document- aries and repeats of popular
ABC shows including Australian Story, Gardening Australia and Landline will
also feature.

Unlike the now-defunct Kids and Fly multichannels, which were targeted at
children and teenagers, the new channel is expected to appeal to a broad
audience. It will incorporate a mix of broadband internet content and
"time-shifted" TV shows.

Most of the programs on the channel are already available via the ABC's
existing TV channel or its ABC Online website.
However, the ABC will make 100 hours of new children's programs a year
specifically for the second channel.

Children's programs are expected to run from 10am to 3pm each day,
supplementing the 7am-9am and 3pm-6pm slots on the existing channel.

"Anytime during the day parents will have access to quality children's
television on either the ABC main channel, or the secondary channel," Mr
Balding said.

The ABC is limited in the types of programs it can broadcast by the current
restrictions on multichannelling. The ABC is lobbying the Government to lift
a ban on it showing drama series, comedy or general news and sport on the
second channel.

Mr Balding said the new channel would not take money from existing programs
or services. "We've found the funds through cost efficiencies and
hard-fought savings," he said.

"Nor does the channel rely on the hope of extra government funding in the
future to survive. We won't be closing this down again because of lack of
funds."

The ABC axed the original multichannels in May last year after the
Government rejected its request for a $250 million funding boost. With a
combined annual budget of $7.3 million, ABC Kids and Fly were the first to
go in a $26-million drive to cut costs. The new channel is only expected to
cost $2 million a year because it relies heavily on existing programming and
broadband content, which is much cheaper to produce.

"The previous channels were fairly high cost and unsustainable without
additional funding," Mr Balding said.

Despite its tight budgetary situation, he said, the ABC could not lag behind
in the digital television revolution. "Irrespective of our funding
situation, we can't sit on our hands. The ABC has to continually take
advantage of those opportunities for emerging technologies."

The new channel agreed to by the ABC board was a "very cost-effective
re-entry into the digital environment".

"If we waited two or three years it would be an almighty leap into it," Mr
Balding said.



http://www.abc.net.au/corp/pubs/s1186829.htm
ABC to Launch Second TV Channel
27/08/2004

The ABC will launch a second television channel in March next year featuring
a comprehensive and quality mixture of children's, documentary, arts,
international and regional news programming. The new channel will be
available to those with digital television receivers or as a free channel
through subscription television.

An innovative component of the new channel will be the introduction of
broadband internet content on television.

"It is vital that the ABC continues to be a part of the changing media
landscape," ABC Managing Director, Russell Balding said.

"Yesterday the ABC Board approved a compelling business plan by management
that represents a repositioning of the ABC back into the multichannel
environment.

"The ABC's last attempt at digital multichannelling was financially
unsustainable. It had to be closed down because the ABC failed to secure
additional funding from the government.

"Last year the ABC had to make some difficult budget decisions, including
the closure of its digital multichannels. We have now delivered hard fought
costs savings and efficiencies that allow the ABC to launch a second
television channel.

"The key difference is that this new digital service is sustainable and cost
effective. The ABC will be in for the long haul.

"A major purpose of the digital service is to expand the reach of ABC
children's programming. The second channel will allow families to switch
between the main and second channel to access trusted, safe and high quality
children's programming right through the day and into the early evening.

"We have learnt through the experience of pay television that audiences
appreciate the convenience of time-shifted programming. ABC audiences will
be given this opportunity on the second channel. There will be more viewing
choices applying to a host of ABC programs.

"This second television channel represents a firm and ongoing commitment by
the ABC in digital broadcasting," Mr Balding said.

[Matt Cook]

The ABC also promised Jazz and Country DiG channels months ago...

[flyinyereye]

"Matt Cook" <mattax@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:cgpbr7$1v6t$1@otis.netspace.net.au...
> The ABC also promised Jazz and Country DiG channels months ago...

Not to mention "ABC Daily", a news channel which also never eventuated.

In the meantime they've confirmed they'll be watermarking ABC by next year.
You can guarantee that'll go ahead.

[Matt Cook]

flyinyereye wrote:
> "Matt Cook" <mattax@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:cgpbr7$1v6t$1@otis.netspace.net.au...
>> The ABC also promised Jazz and Country DiG channels months ago...
>
> Not to mention "ABC Daily", a news channel which also never
> eventuated.

That was only ever a proposal. The newly announced channel looks like it
will incorperate most of what that was going to be. ABC Kids + ABC Daily =
ABC2.